Police: Eagle-Vail man tried to resell stolen camera to victim

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EAGLE COUNTY, Colorado - An Eagle-Vail man was arrested after he tried to resell a stolen camera to its owner, police said.

On Thursday, the Eagle County Sheriff's Office received a report of a theft. The victim told deputies that on Jan. 22, she was skiing laps on Vail Mountain when she noticed that her backpack was unzipped and her camera and lens were missing. The victim told police that the equipment must have been taken from her backpack while standing in the lift line. The camera and lens were valued at $4,200.

On Jan. 29, the victim located an ad on Craigslist selling a camera exactly like the one taken from her. The victim then contacted the individual listed in the ad and expressed interest in purchasing the camera. She also requested photos of the camera and photos taken by the camera.

Police say Teodor Georgiev, 29, of Eagle-Vail, emailed the photos not knowing that he was speaking to the owner. The victim was able to use the encryption on the picture of the camera, which was taken with a smartphone, to determine the location where the photos were taken, police said. The victim was also able to view the serial number on the advertised camera and verify that it was hers, according to police.

Undercover deputies then contacted Georgiev and made arrangements to meet with him to purchase the camera.

Georgiev told deputies that he found the camera while he was working at Vail Resorts, according to the Eagle County Sheriff's Office. Police said he told them that "times are tough so he figured he would sell it" rather than following Vail Resorts policy, which requires employees to report all found items to lost and found.

Georgiev was booked into the Eagle County Detention Facility on charges of theft, a Class 4 felony.